Apple Educational Services

Page created August 24, 2013Last updated Jan 12, 2014Apple Educational Services is a "nonprofit" educational services provider that hosts the "student/school information systems" as well as the online admissions forms for at least 20 Gulen charter schools in the northeast and mid-Atlantic states, as well as for several private Gulen schools both in the US and overseas. It was also mentioned in a failed application for The Heights, a proposed Gulen charter school in NY, and a failed application for Connecticut Academy of Math and Science (CAMS) in New Haven.

Apple Educational Services is registered with the state of New Jersey as a "foreign non-profit corporation;" the original incorporation may have been in New York. Apple's role in controlling student data for some Gulen schools, including private ones in the US as well as some on other countries, may concern some parents, in view of Apple's control of student information systems for thousands of charter school students. It is unknown where Apple stores its data, and whether any of it (including backups) is located overseas. FERPA (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), the federal law that protects privacy of student records, may not be enforceable overseas. A situation where public school student data is in the hands of a corporation that deals with a multinational chain of schools is new and unprecedented in our nation (the only other example we know of at this time is the charter school chain run by Sabis.)

Apple also has d.b.a. names "Ivy Learning" and "Ivy League Learning Center." Railway Avenue Properties and Johnson Road Properties, both involved in charter school related-party transactions, have the same board members as Apple, and Railway has been described as its wholly-owned subsidiary.

Apple Educational Services has used the address 545 Interstate Pl Carlstadt NJ 07072, which was also used by all the following Gulen-affiliated entities:

Technotime Business Solutions, d.b.a. Proacademy

Lotus Media Productions (a.k.a. Lotus Media Pro)

Interfaith Dialog Center NJ (now renamed Peace Islands Institute)

Zaman Ltd (Zaman is the Gulen Movement's flagship newspaper, with Turkish and English language editions, and editions in many countries incl. USA)

Helping Hands Relief Foundation (Gulenist)

In common with nearly all Gulen-affiliated organizations, Apple Educational Services has used H-1B visas.

Apple runs math contests that are mainly patronized by Gulen charter schools students. The contest booklet for at least one of these events was designed and printed by Lotus Media Productions, a Gulenist corporation that has provided services to many Gulen charter schools and other Gulenist entities.

RELATED-PARTY DEALSApple Educational Services has been mentioned (sometimes simply as a "vendor" without being named) in several news articles that touched on related-party deals in Gulen charter schools:

Pioneer Charter School of Science (Boston Globe, Feb 21, 2013)"Turkish charter schools growing as some question cleric ties""A Globe review of public documents has found several links among the Turkish-run schools, including shared Turkish-­run vendors, such as Apple Educational Services, which has been paid more than $128,600 for consulting work to Pioneer."Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School (Buffalo News, July 31, 2013)"State audit faults Buffalo science charter school rental of YWCA""Auditors estimated the corporation’s costs for buying and renovating the building, plus interest, at $1.9 million and noted that rent during the 15-year lease would total more than $4.4 million, 'a return on its investment of more than 200 percent.'"The corporation referred to here is Apple Educational Services.Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School(Syracuse Post-Standard, July 11, 2013)"Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School gets critical audit from the state""The audit said the school routinely purchased equipment and furniture from a group of four vendors that were affiliated with each other -- and two other businesses whose offices were in close proximity."

While not the subject of a news article yet, Apple's involvement in a 30 million dollar New Jersey bond deal and the associated lease and land sale for Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology is also a related-party transaction with a direct financial connection to the Gulen Movement (see this page).

Publicly-funded charter schools using Apple Educational Services for school information systems and admissions forms (and very likely other services)

Pioneer Charter School of Science (MA)

Hampden Charter School of Science (MA)

Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School (NY)

Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School (NY)

Rochester Academy Charter School (NY)

Utica Academy of Science Charter School (NY)

Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter School (NJ)

Central Jersey College Prep (NJ)

Paterson Charter School of Science and Technology (NJ)

Bergen Arts and Science Charter School (NJ)

Bergen Arts and Science Charter School (middle/high school) (NJ)

Passaic Arts and Science Charter School (NJ)

Young Scholars of Central Pennsylvania Charter School (PA)

Young Scholars of Central Pennsylvania (PA)

Truebright Science Academy (PA)

Triangle Math and Science Academy (NC)

Triad Math and Science Academy (NC)

Chesapeake Math and IT Academy (MD)

Chesapeake Science Point (MD)

Baltimore IT Academy (MD)

Private Gulen schools using Apple Educational Services for school information systems and admissions forms (and very likely other services)

Putnam Science Academy (CT)

Pioneer Academy of Science (NJ)

Brooklyn Amity School (NY)

Pinnacle Academy (VA)

Rainbow International School (South Korea)

Meridian International School (Poland)

Nile Academy (Toronto, Canada)

Note that in the case of the Maryland charter schools (Chesapeake Science Point, etc), Apple's student information login page also shows the name of the Washington Education Foundation, another Gulenist organization.

Further connections to the Gulen Movement are shown by the multiple affiliations, both past and present, of the following individuals.

Client of Kulen Law Firm; wrote testimonial (Kulen Law Firm has provided immigration-related legal services to a number of Gulen charter schools)

Akin Law Group (headed by Zafer Akin) (Gulenist)

Andrea K Baykir

Corporate officer, Apple Educational Services

Corporate officer, Johnson Road Properties

Helping Hands Relief Foundation

Participates in Turkish Cultural Center Manhattan events

Tolga Hayali

Vice President, Apple Educational Services 2006-2008

Co-founder, Utica Academy of Science (Gulen charter school in NY)

School director, Syracuse Academy of Science (Gulen charter school in NY)

Principal of Pioneer Academy of Science (private Gulen school in New Jersey)

Participated, along with Levent Koc, Director of the Interfaith Dialog Center and Mevlut Kirazli, Program Coordinator of the Interfaith Dialog Center, in Assemblyman Thomas Giblin’s tour of Pioneer Academy of Science

Corporate Officer, Johnson Road Properties,
Inc (Massachusetts corporation that purchased Hampden Charter School
of Science site at 20 Johnson Rd, Chicopee MA, from Ace It Education. Hampden is a a Gulen charter school in MA.)

Signer of loan forgiveness letter to Fulton Science Academy (Gulen charter school in Georgia). Letterhead said "Sema Education and Health Development Co. Inc.; this Gulenist corporation shares/d an address and phone number with the Turkish Cultural Center New York (prominent Gulenist organization)

Candela Network (Gulenist corporation)

Member, TABID-Brooklyn (Turkish American Business Improvement and Development Council) (Gulenist organization)